Batting

CLERMONT, Fla. – On the second day of its spring trip in Florida on Sunday, the MIT softball team split its games, falling to Carleton College by a score of 1-0 before defeating the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh later in the day, 2-0. Tech is currently 1-3 on the newly started 2014 season, after having to cancel its first two double headers at home due to poor weather.

In the game against Carleton, which was locked at zero until the bottom of the fifth, freshman Emily Van Belleghem (Los Gatos, Calif.) led the team by going 2-for-3, while classmate Mackenzie Donnelly (Helena, Mont.) and junior Karly McLaughlin (Edwardsville, Ill.) both recorded doubles. Sophomore Alexandra Marshall (Glen Head, N.Y.) pitched the first four innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven. Donnelly made her collegiate debut at the mound, allowing two hits and a run in the remaining two innings.

MIT got at least one batter on base during each of its seven innings at bat. At the top of the third, it looked as if Tech might score when Marshall singled and made it to third following an Emily Van Belleghem single and an error by the catcher that allowed both to advance a base. The inning ended before the sophomore could make it home, though, when the next batter struck out.

Carleton's one run came at the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of Holly Buttrey, who started the inning by being walked and advancing to third when both Jenny Ramey and Katrina Harper singled. Buttrey made it home when Micaela LaRose was hit by the pitch, loading the bases with two outs. Freshman Monica Shifflet (Poway, Calif.) ended the inning before any more damage could be done, catching the ball hit by Kaitlin Bagley. McLaughlin tried to tie the score in the next inning by doubling, but was out at third and the game ended before the Cardinal and Gray got the run they needed.

Tech's first win of the season came later that afternoon against Wisconsin Oshkosh, coinciding with the Titans first loss of the season. Marshall went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI and Donnelly went 1-for-2 with one run. Junior Ellie Fodor (Trenton, Mich.) earned her first win of the 2014 campaign by pitching the entire game, allowing just two hits in seven innings and striking out an impressive 13 batters.

Seven of the first nine batters were struck out by Fodor, with one of the two hits coming in the first inning when Haley Bayreuther singled and then stole second, but the third out occurred before she could make it any further. The only other Titan hit of the game would come in the seventh inning, when Lindsey Luedke singled to left center and Katie Parsons, who was pinch running for Luedke, made it to third before the inning, and the game, ended.

Both of MIT's runs were scored early on in the game, at the bottom of the third. Donnelly started the inning with her second double of the game, making it to third when classmate Natalie Shifflet (Poway, Calif.) was out at first. With two outs, Marshall singled through the left side, sending Donnelly home, and junior Sarah Van Belleghem (Los Gatos, Calif.) doubled to allow Marshall to score. Van Belleghem was left on second following the third out, but those two runs were all the Engineers needed to win the game.

Tech will face St. Thomas (Minn.) at 11:00 a.m. and Buena Vista at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.